Legends of Might and Magic

Legends of Might and Magic was released in 2001, developed by New World Computing and published by The 3DO Company. The catalogue files it under the Might and Magic series, a name that had until then been built on large fantasy worlds, map exploration and turn-based combat.

This one is not a role-playing game, though. It is recorded as a first-person title made for multiple players, which is a sharp turn inside the brand. Instead of a long solo campaign, the focus falls on short confrontations between two sides on an enclosed map, decided by aim and reaction speed.

The release year explains the decision. Around the turn of the millennium, team-based online matches were the liveliest part of PC gaming, and publishers were rebuilding their own licences into multiplayer shapes to ride that wave. A fantasy setting offered a different toolkit than the military shooters of the day, since it mixes ranged weapons with spells and close-quarters fighting.

The practical consequence is easy to state: a game like this lives or dies by its opponents. Once the servers empty out, far less remains than in the single-player entries of the series, which could fill entire evenings on their own. That is why the title is remembered more as an experiment than as a mainline sequel.

OldGame.cz keeps Legends of Might and Magic as a reference entry, with its release year, developer, publisher, series placement and period screenshots.